Dr. William:

I entered U.S. with H-1B visa, and need to go back to my home country for a short visit. I want to know how to renew my H-1B visa through revalidation for my travel, before it expires?   

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A:

Revalidation is a procedure, under which a H or L nonimmigrant who already has a H or L visa stamp in the passport is permitted to apply for extension of such visa via mail through the U.S. Department of State, Visa Office in Washington, D.C. To qualify, you must meet the following criteria: 

(1) Passport must be valid for at least 6 months and must contain at least one blank page. The passport must contain a previous visa bearing the same classification as that which you now seek. 

(2) The existing visa must expire within 60 days or less or it has expired less than one year.